State pardons board recommends clemency for several applicants, denies others; mixed rulings on firearm restoration

The Committee on Parole convened Aug. 4, 2025, to hear more than a dozen clemency and pardon applications and reached mixed outcomes, recommending pardons for several applicants while denying others. The panel issued multiple recommendations without restoration of firearm rights and a smaller number with full restoration.

Why it matters: Pardons and restorations affect employment, licensing and civil rights (including firearm possession) for petitioners and can shape post-conviction access to jobs and professional licenses. The board’s recommendations are sent to the governor for final action.

The board heard oral testimony and received letters or appearances from family members, counsel and local prosecutors. Several recommendations were framed around applicants’ rehabilitation, time since conviction and letters of support; several denials cited recent violent or public-safety concerns or outstanding opposition from prosecutors or law-enforcement agencies.

Key outcomes (summary): The panel recommended pardons without restoration of firearm rights for multiple applicants who emphasized rehabilitation and stable employment (examples below). At least three petitioners received a board recommendation that included full restoration of firearm rights; several other petitions were denied.

Who and why (select cases): - Dana Evans: The board recommended a pardon without restoration of firearms after members noted her multi-year employment with a sheriff’s office and supporting letters in the record. Evans detailed long-term sobriety and family support in her testimony.

- Joshua Fleming: The board denied Fleming’s application. Members cited an extensive adult record that included a 2019 DWI and opposition from law-enforcement and the district attorney’s office to restoring firearm rights.

- Lenny (M.) Nicholas: The board voted to recommend a pardon without restoration of firearms. Supporters described his decades-long confinement, post-release employment and claims of new evidence and a negotiated plea that followed a later confession; the board cited strong community letters but withheld firearm restoration.

- James Broussard and Michael (last name) Thibodeaux: Each appeared with family and counsel; Broussard received a recommendation for a pardon without firearm restoration. Thibodeaux’s application was denied after members said the post-sentence interval was too short to warrant a favorable recommendation.

- Rick Ricard: The board recommended a pardon with full restoration of firearm rights; the record showed no victim opposition, completed restitution and long intervening years since the offense.

- Bianca Kennedy: The board recommended a pardon without the restoration of firearm rights; members repeatedly described the underlying event as tragic and expressed concern about the length of time since the conviction but voted to recommend clemency while withholding firearm restoration.

- Daryl (Darrell) Creasy: Panel members were split. Several members supported recommending a pardon without firearm restoration citing sustained reformation and community service; other members said uncertainty about the factual record or the applicant’s prior admissions led them to deny. The final outcome was a denial.

- Terrence M. Miles and Jamisha Delcom: Both applicants were denied after board members cited repeated driving-under-the-influence or violent-history entries on their records; one board member dissented and voted to grant restoration for Miles.

- Travis Woodard and Ryan Perkins: Both received recommendations for pardon with full restoration of firearm rights; board members cited long intervening periods without reoffending, military service (in Woodard’s case) and extensive community and family support (Perkins).

Votes at a glance (selected): - Dana Evans — Recommend pardon; without restoration of firearms (board recommendation to governor). - Joshua Fleming — Denied (insufficient favorable votes; DA opposition noted). - Lenny Nicholas — Recommend pardon; without restoration of firearms. - James Broussard — Recommend pardon; without restoration of firearms. - Gaines (first name not used in transcript) — Denied (insufficient favorable votes; victim opposition cited). - Michael Thibodeaux — Denied (board cited short post-sentence interval). - Rick Ricard — Recommend pardon; with restoration of firearms. - Bianca Kennedy — Recommend pardon; without restoration of firearms. - Daryl/Darrell Creasy — Denied (split panel; factual uncertainty cited). - Jamisha Delcom — Denied (board cited subsequent violent incidents). - Terrence M. Miles — Denied (criminal-history concerns; one dissenting vote for restoration). - Travis Woodard — Recommend pardon; with restoration of firearms. - Ryan Perkins — Recommend pardon; full restoration of firearms and rights.

What the board said and next steps: The board framed most favorable recommendations as votes to send a positive recommendation to the governor; the governor makes the final determination. Where the panel recommended pardons without firearm restoration, members explicitly withheld restoration citing statutory or public-safety considerations; where full restoration was recommended, panelists pointed to long clean periods, community service or military service.

The board adjourned after completing the docket and noted that recommendations will be forwarded to the governor for final action. Petitioners who received denials may reapply per board rules.

Notes: This article summarizes the board’s stated recommendations and the reasons the panel members recorded on the public transcript. The board’s recommendation does not itself alter an applicant’s legal status; final disposition rests with the governor and any administrative follow-up required by state agencies.